The New England Patriots improved to 10-2 with a 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that hardly represented their sharpest performance during a nine-game winning streak.

New England didn’t turn either of its two red-zone trips into touchdowns, a growing problem for the offense all season. Up 17-13 in the third quarter, Mike Vrabel’s team squandered an opportunity to extend its lead.

A defensive pass interference on fourth-and-goal gave the Patriots a fresh set of downs at the 1-yard line, but the Bengals stuffed them inches shy of the end zone. Vrabel stressed the need to improve on goal-line offense...

The firing of Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen might have a trickle-down effect on the Patriots.

And not only because New England will host New York in a Week 13 matchup next Monday night.

Prior to his two seasons as Big Blue’s defensive coordinator, Bowen worked under then-Titans head coach Mike Vrabel for six seasons (2018-2023). He initially was hired as an outside linebackers coach, but elevated to defensive coordinator for the second half of his tenure in Tennessee.

It’s caused some around the league, including Sports Illustrated’s NFL insider Albert Breer, to question whether Bowen could link back up...

The New England Patriots are learning how to win dirty, as that’s exactly what they did in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. With a 26-20 victory, Mike Vrabel’s squad pushed its record to 10-2 on the season, giving it sole possession of the No. 1 seed in the AFC heading into Week 13.

With injuries mounting, and this being the 12th straight week the Pats have had a game, it’s getting tougher and tougher to grind out victories. And yet, when it was time for New England to make winning plays, it did what it has done all season...

The New England Patriots battled their way to their 10th win of the season in Week 12, as they earned a gritty 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Drake Maye once again led the way under center, but it’s safe to say this was not his best performance of the season.

When all was said and done, Maye’s numbers look solid, as he completed 22 of his 35 pass attempts for 294 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 22 yards on five carries. He looked off in the first quarter, though, and he threw a particularly brutal interception...

Changes keep coming in New York.

The New York Giants fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, as confirmed by the team. Bowen spent the last two seasons in New York after he served on the Tennessee Titans staff under then-head coach Mike Vrabel (2018-2023).

The firing of Bowen comes just two weeks after former head coach Brian Daboll was fired. Interim coach Mike Kafka made the decision to fire Bowen after the Giants blew yet another double-digit lead and lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 12.

It marked New York’s sixth straight loss and fifth time this season the G-Men...

Ahead of this year’s training camp, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel explained that he was looking at his team’s performances in three distinct categories. There is the good, the bad, and, as he called it, the s—t that gets you beat.

Sunday’s 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals saw plenty of all three. So, if the coach wants to look at the Patriots through the three categories he established, who are we to disagree? So, let’s break down the Week 12 game in exactly that manner.

The good: Battling adversity

The Patriots did face their fair share...

The New England Patriots earned win No. 10 on the year on Sunday afternoon, as they took down the Cincinnati Bengals 26-20. While that is impressive in its own right, linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson made sure to highlight another big accomplishment immediately after this game ended.

Chaisson has quickly become an important piece of the Pats’ defensive line, and while he wasn’t at his best in Week 12 (he only had one tackle and a costly penalty on fourth down), he’s going to play a big role in determining how far New England can go this year.

There’s been a lot...

The Patriots whiffed on their attempt to trade for Brandon Aiyuk over a year ago, but could they get another chance?

New England aggressively pursued Aiyuk during August of 2024 amid the star receiver’s contract drama with the 49ers. They even reportedly had a deal in place with San Francisco — including a massive contract extension — but Aiyuk rejected the Patriots and the also-interested Cleveland Browns. Aiyuk, who was open to joining the Pittsburgh Steelers, eventually rescinded his trade request and re-signed with the 49ers. Just two months later, the 2020 first-round pick suffered a major knee injury and...

The Patriots whiffed on their attempt to trade for Brandon Aiyuk over a year ago, but could they get another chance?

New England aggressively pursued Aiyuk during August of 2024 amid the star receiver’s contract drama with the 49ers. They even reportedly had a deal in place with San Francisco — including a massive contract extension — but Aiyuk rejected the Patriots and the also-interested Cleveland Browns. Aiyuk, who was open to joining the Pittsburgh Steelers, eventually rescinded his trade request and re-signed with the 49ers. Just two months later, the 2020 first-round pick suffered a major knee injury and...

The New England Patriots earned their ninth-straight victory in Week 12 with a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. One of the stars of the game was tight end Hunter Henry, and he made a heartwarming gesture after finding the end zone in this one.

Henry paced all receivers in this game with seven receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. With New England’s passing attack struggling at times, Henry was the security blanket Drake Maye used time and again to help move the ball down the field.

A 28-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Henry got the Pats on...

TEAM TALK

• Post Game Notes, Patriots at Bengals: Pats win 10th game of the season, remain undefeated on the road; Marcus Jones has second pick-6 of his career, both against the Bengals; Drake Maye sets career-high in passing yards; Hunter Henry sets career-high with 3rd 100-yard game; More!
• **Evan Lazar’**s Game Observations: 8 takeaways from the Week 12 win. *“It’s hard to win in this league, especially while playing your 12th consecutive game without a bye week on the road. For those reasons, we won’t hold a tight game against a lesser opponent against them – just take...

The New England Patriots grinded out a 26-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, but they did not escape this game unscathed. Several players left the game early due to injuries, with rookie left tackle Will Campbell’s departure seeming to be the most concerning of the bunch.

Campbell appeared to get rolled up on in the third quarter, and after making his way to the sidelines, he ended up having to get carted to the locker room, which is never a good sign. While he was initially questionable to return, Vederian Lowe filled in at left tackle for the rest of...